NT Prayer Run – This World Has Nothing For Me

As I pulled into the parking lot at Payne Park to begin my run this morning, I knew I must be close to the high school simply by the large number of high school aged youth walking, riding bikes, and getting out of carpool vans all heading in the same general direction.  In my prayers these students may have simply been “the girl in the pink” or the “boy in yellow”, but I can trust that through the Spirit’s intercession (Rom. 8:26-27), by the time my prayers reached God’s ears, He heard their names.  (It’s kind of a cool thought that not only does God know how many hairs are on our heads (Mt. 10:30), he knows what color shirt you’re wearing… just in case someone prays for you as “that guy in red” :).)

Anyway, back to my running and praying… I decided to simply follow the stream of students rather than go up a block and over to the front of the building.  Recalling a quick glance at a map last night, it seemed I could come up on the back of the school and then run along the side to get to the front.  This might normally have been the case, but due to construction, my “shortcut” ended up adding to my run as I now had to go around the football stadium, the softball diamond, and Meadow Elementary School just to get to the front of North Tonawanda Senior High School.  But, I just took that as prompt to pray for those spaces, the athletes that would practice and compete there, the children and teachers who would fill those classrooms.

By the time I was out in front of the school, the first class of the day was just starting.  Right at the moment I was standing in the parking lot, students and teachers were beginning their day together.  If it’s anything like my high school, they were probably reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and hearing all the announcements for the day outlining the activities probably coming up.  I prayed for those activities.

Leaving the school, I set out to find the homes of a few First Trinity students before heading back to my car.  In the process I passed even more schools, churches, and (earlier in the run) a Christian Outreach Center.  I prayed that the schools would provide quality education and that God would give the teachers and administrators (including NT Principal Fisher) wisdom to carry out their tasks today.  I prayed for the churches and their leaders… that God’s Word would be proclaimed clearly… that any divisions would be reconciled… that God would challenge the church leaders to depend fully on Him, following His lead in every move they make, every interaction with congregation members, in every opportunity to be a light, that by God’s grace they would be able to shine brightly in a dark world.

I made it past three First Trinity families’ homes… including the home of one hosting a North Tonawanda High School foreign exchange student.  At one point in finding a home, I turned down an incorrect street, but then I was able to lift up the construction workers that happened to be building a house on that road along with the family who would one day live there.

One of my favorite moments from this morning was watching a father walk his young son out to the school bus, mom standing by the door, both telling him they loved him.  I wondered if they knew the unfailing Love of Christ and prayed that if they didn’t someone would be able to share it with them.

Whenever I found my mind wandering, I came back to the list of names on my hand:

“Becca
Sean
Meghan
Katie
Jaime”

In addition to these students and their families, I kept finding myself with the following song lyrics in my head:

This world has nothing for me.

I will follow You.

This song, Rescue by Newsboys had been on the radio as I drove to North Tonawanda this morning.  As it appeared in my head again and again and again, I found myself turning it into a prayer for each of the students:

This world has nothing for you, Becca.

I pray you follow Christ.

Placing each student’s name in the phrase, singing it again and again, thinking about the things that we often THINK the world has for us that can take God’s place.  I wondered what each of those students might think this world has for them.

This world has nothing for you, Sean.

I pray you follow Christ.

Maybe for some of them, they try to find acceptance and love in the people around them rather than the unfailing Savior…

This world has nothing for you, Meghan,

I pray you follow Christ.

For others, maybe they strive to look their best, to be skinny or strong or beautiful, with the right clothes, the right shoes, the right hairdo…

This world has nothing for you, Katie.

I pray you follow Christ.

Or maybe, like me in high school, some of them just put all their effort into doing it right, getting good grades, striving for perfection, not realizing that it’s not about what we do but what Christ has already done.

This world has nothing for you, Jaime.

I pray you follow Christ.

Just last night I had been challenged by someone with a similar question/thought: “What is keeping you from trusting God?  What is keeping you from walking with Him day by day, moment by moment?  Whatever it is… GIVE IT UP!  Let it go!  Trust God and say:

“This world has nothing for me.

I will follow you!”

Psalm 73:25 “Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.”